Okay, we finally received the New Retevis Ailunce HA1UV after having to send back the previous radio they sent.
It hasn’t been opened yet because it was delivered and sat outside in the < 20-degree weather for a while and we’d like it to warm to room temperature before charging it.
We’ll charge it tomorrow and see about programming it.
********************************************* UPDATE*********************************************
So we’ve finally gotten around to checking this radio out.
The first step was to download the firmware and unlock the expanded frequencies.
The firmware for this radio makes the unlock process very simple, kind of like the Tidradios.
You simply press and hold side button one and the PTT button while turning the radio on and it’s unlocked.
And the key here is that it only has to be done once, the radio will retain the setting.
We found the Ailunce HA1UV to be the same radio as the HA1G, with different firmware and a higher price.
The HA1G has new firmware which allows the same frequency unlock feature thereby making it the same radio with the same functionality.
That said, We love the HA1G and were looking forward to the day when Ailunce would either release a ham band version or firmware that allows frequency unlocking.
We got both a new HAM band radio and new firmware.
The HA1UV is sturdy, rugged, and durable.
It has a great hand-feel and IP67 dust and water resistance.
It’s a bit chunky, but in a good way, it feels like a real radio, not a toy.
The programming software sucks, there’s no way of importing any existing frequencies you may have from other radios.
The radio is not chirp-compatible and programming by hand can be challenging.
So even though the software sucks, it’s better than programming by hand.
The radio has Zones, scan lists, and some of the other features that make DMR radios difficult.
Fortunately, the HA1UV allows the scanning of all channels should you choose while the HA1g doesn’t allow that.
With the HA1G you are limited to scanning groups of 16 channels per Zone, with the HA1UV Zones are optional and the All Channels Zone is exactly that, all channels.
That said, the HA1G is around $40, while the HA1UV is around $70.
It seems worth it to me to just get the HA1G, update the firmware, and expand the frequencies.
In any case, either of these radios is an excellent choice.
73